I used to think “discipline”was a dirty word

This is where we share our favorite tips, tricks, secrets, and ways to "think like a healthy person" so that you can find your own delicious path to healthy living.

"Feel-Good Mondays" are meant to help us get back into that place of feeling energized, nourished, and ready to take inspired action for the week ahead.

“But you’re so disciplined!”

A friend was complaining to me about her struggles to give up sugar. I was giving her some tips I had personally used, but it was clear she was frustrated. She felt that even though Iwas able to break free of the junk food habit, things wouldn’t be so easy for her. I mean, here I was, so “disciplined” and “balanced,” while she was stuck with the “bingeing gene”…

I had to laugh (in fact, I think I snorted).

Back when I weighed 50 pounds more and struggled with my daily food choices, “discipline” was the last word I would’ve used to describe myself. In fact, I felt like I had no will power, and usually vacillated between feeling trapped in dieting prison or running wild in binge-land. There was no balance for me back then.

Even the word “discipline” used to conjure up more feelings of food-and-dieting-overwhelm. I wanted freedom, not rigidity! Flexibility, not dogmatic dieting. The right to eat a box of cereal for dinner if that’s what I was craving that day.

I imagined that if I was truly disciplined, I wouldn’t get as much pleasure from my food. I’d be miserable and cranky and restricted.

The irony was that the more I fought against the idea of discipline and structure and feeling “boxed in,” the more uneasy, uncomfortable, and unproductive I felt. My weight suffered. And my self-esteem, mood, and confidence suffered as a result.

Over time, through practice (and LOTS of trial and error, and many steps forward followed by many steps backward), I realized that adding structure with flexibility was actually what I craved. I didn’t need to be “free and wild” with my diet, but I also didn’t need to live in constant militant dieting mode. There was a happy medium that, surprisingly, came with cultivating discipline.

Through my own health and wellness journey, I learned that the right discipline felt great: a combination of structure, healthy routine, and being “disciplined” about also scheduling time (and belly space) for indulgence.

Discipline got me results: I dropped the weight, and kept it off. My mood improved. I discovered my passion on this planet (helping others find the health and nutrition path that supports them to feel their best). And like with any training, the more I practices using my newfound “discipline muscle,” the stronger – and easier – it became.

I share this with you so that you know that I didn’t start out “disciplined”. Healthy, loving, enjoyable (yes, enjoyable!!) disciplined was something I had to learn to cultivate. But once I did, with the right guidance and support and mentoring, everything shifted for me.

If you crave discipline, structure, accountability, and the right tools to form a healthy diet and lifestyle, get the support you need to get there. You don’t have to do it alone. I certainly didn’t, and I wouldn’t expect you to either. Reach out to us and get the ball rolling. All it takes is the decision – and courage – to take a step forward.

With love,

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